This month’s Daring Cooks Challenge is one of our favorite snacks: potstickers.  In our household, they could be dim sum, gyoza, siomai, har gau, or chinese dumplings — either way, we always have them in the freezer ready to be steamed, fried or boiled.  Although most of the time, I buy the wonton wrappers from the oriental store (especially when they go on sale!), I sometimes make my own wrappers much lke the same way Jen of Use Real Butter does.  The only difference is that I use boiling water instead of warm water.  I find that the dough stretches more and has less of a doughy taste when steamed.  Much like the other Daring Cooks, I have made them with various savory fillings as well: pork, shrimp, beef, chicken, cabbage or a combination of some of them. And of course with sweet fillings like chocolate, almond paste and red bean paste when the cravings hit. I’ve also played with flavors for the wrapper: red beet, orange, lemon and green tea (as seen in the photo above).  I usually add the red beet or green tea powder (about 1 tbs for every 2 cups of flour) to the dry ingredients then mix.  Although the flavors are often mild,  the potstickers are certainly great to look at! Here is Jen’s recipe for you to try:

Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers

Dough (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches – or just halve the filling recipe)

• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (113g) warm water
• flour for worksurface

Pork Filling:

• 1 lb (450g) ground pork
• 4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced
• 3 stalks green onions, minced
• 7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried – rehydrated and rinsed carefully)
• 1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced
• 1/4 (55g) cup ginger root, minced
• 3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce
• 2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil
• 2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

Shrimp Filling:

• 1/2 lb (225g) raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 lb (225g) ground pork
• 3 stalks green onions, minced
• 1/4 cup (55g) ginger root, minced
• 1 cup (142g) water chestnuts, minced
• 1 tsp (5g) salt
• 3 tbsp (40g) sesame oil
• 2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

Dipping Sauce:

• 2 parts soy sauce
• 1 part vinegar (red wine or black)
• a few drops of sesame oil
• chili garlic paste (optional)
• minced ginger (optional)
• minced garlic (optional)
• minced green onion (optional)
• sugar (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).
2. Make the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).
3. Make the dough, Method 2 (my mom’s instructions): In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.
4. Both dough methods: Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers). With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking – about 1/16th inch. Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side (see images in post for how to fold pleats). Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.
5. To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot. Boil the dumplings until they float.
6. To steam: Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes,placing the dumplings in a steamer over napa cabbage leaves.

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